First Impressions
by kidunot
Summary: "I know Liz and he got off on the wrong foot from his first day of school but you have to explain to her that he really did not mean to insult her when he changed his table after she sat down next to him", said Charlie to Jane. So does Liz forgive Will?
1. Chapter 1

_Liz_

As soon as the door slammed shut, Liz let out a growl of frustration, startling Jane who was working on her project at the other end of the room.

"What is the matter, Liz?"

"I hate Will Darcy!"

"What did he do this time?"

"Firstly, when Mr. Saunders assigned me as his project partner, he said that he would prefer to be paired with Ralph! Can you believe it – Ralph who can barely string two words together! Well, Mr. Saunders said he saw no reason to change partners and then Darcy gave me one of his supercilious looks... and now, now he wants me to do most of the project by myself! He said he has something really important to do and needed to go home immediately!"

"We have two more weeks to finish it, Liz. I'm sure he did have something important to do that couldn't be put off."

"I don't believe it ... he just didn't want to work with me. Well, I'm not sitting here after school and doing this on my own. I'm going home. I don't care if I get a bad grade on this project, as long as HE gets a bad grade as well."

Liz angrily threw her things into her bag and stormed out of the room, nearly crashing into Charles Bingley who was coming inside.

Charles stared after the departing Liz in confusion. He turned to his project partner Jane with a questioning look. "What happened to Liz?"

Jane sighed. "Apparently, Will left saying he had something to do and asked Liz to finish alone what they had planned to get done today. She was already upset because he asked Mr. Saunders if Ralph could be his partner instead of her."

"Will is just a bit shy. I know Liz and he got off on the wrong foot from his first day of school but you have to explain to her that he really did not mean to insult her when he changed his table after she sat down next to him. He's been home-schooled for the last few years after his mother died, and he is not comfortable around girls at all. I think he finds Liz rather intimidating."

"I didn't know he lost his mother. That's so sad. And I think it's really nice the way you've taken him under your wing."

Charles laughed. "He's no lost duckling. I've just helped him settle in. I like to think we are best friends now. And he probably got a call or message from his dad asking him to pick up his younger sister from her school. That would be the only reason he left so suddenly. Please tell Liz to go easy on him tomorrow. I don't think he could handle an angry Liz Bennet!"

* * *

Liz threw her mobile on the bed after she finished talking to Jane. She had been surprised to learn that Will Darcy had lost his mother some years ago and been home schooled since then. That did explain his lack of social graces.

She wondered whether she had misread him completely. The first day of school, she had walked into class and seen a new boy sitting at one of the desks at the back. She had thought that he was really cute and promptly sat down next to him. To her shock and dismay, when she turned and smiled at him, he gathered his things and went to sit at one of the desks up front.

She knew she wasn't a stunner like her friend Jane, but this was the first time a boy had thought she was so awful, he didn't want to even sit next to her! She had made it into a joke and gone around telling all her friends what happened, but secretly, she had been rather hurt.

She wondered now whether she had made it more difficult for him to settle in by making her friends automatically disposed to dislike him. Only Charles Bingley had gone out of the way to befriend Darcy. Most of the others had already heard Liz's story and Darcy's aloof expression did its part in ensuring he had few friends in class.

She decided to try to be more polite to Darcy. Maybe he really was just shy like Charles said. Although she felt that Charles Bingley was just too nice and easily-led and it was more likely that Darcy was using him and would show his true colors later.

* * *

Darcy and Liz had only a few classes together and since he continued to sit at the front and she at the back, they didn't have any conversation until they met at the end of the day to work on their science project.

Liz had come to the class earlier than Darcy and was glad to find that all their things remained on the table. She had been so angry yesterday that she had not kept anything back in the locker but it looked like luck was on her side and no one had used the room that day.

She had just started work when Darcy came in. She remembered her resolution to be polite and smiled at him. He looked rather shocked but did not return her smile which irritated Liz.

"So did you get that really important thing done?" she asked him.

"What? I don't understand what you are talking about."

"You left yesterday saying you had something important to do."

Darcy looked at her confused. "Yes, I got that done."

"Great, I hope you can work on the project today."

"Yes I can," returned Darcy. Liz looked at his handsome face and thought it was unfair that he was so good-looking when his character was so unpleasant. It seemed unlikely he was going to either apologize for leaving or explain where he had to go urgently yesterday so she dropped the topic. The conversation for the next few minutes was only regarding the work they would be doing.

Charles and Jane came in a little later followed by Ellen and Natalie who were also using the same room to work in.

Darcy remained quiet and Liz chatted with the others while she worked.

They got quite a bit done so Liz was happy when they packed up. She said a quick goodbye to Charles, Ellen and Natalie and left with Jane.

"Liz! You didn't say bye to Darcy!"

"I didn't? Guess I forgot. It doesn't matter anyway."

"I caught him staring at you when you weren't looking."

"Oh Jane, don't be silly. We all know that Will Darcy is not the least bit interested in me. However, I do know that Charlie keeps looking at you in class..."

"Really!"

"Yes, I think he does like you."

"Casey is having a party next weekend. Do you think Charlie will ask me to go with him?" asked Jane with a hopeful look.

"I'm sure he will! You will be working with him on the project after school every day so he should have enough opportunity to ask you."

"We will be working on the project Tuesday and Thursday but not the other days. Charlie has football and I have cheer-leading practice."

Liz was sure that Charlie would ask Jane out. They were perfect for each other – both good-looking and having similar kind natures.

* * *

The next evening, Jane came to Liz's house in tears. "What happened?" asked a worried Liz as she took Jane quickly to her room.

"Oh Liz, Charlie asked Maya to the party! I just found out when I saw her facebook page. I really thought he liked me, I'm such a fool," sobbed Jane.

"No, you are the loveliest and nicest girl in the class. And if Charles Bingley doesn't realize that it's his loss. Now, I'll tell you what we are going to do – we are going to go out and buy new dresses for the party and then we are going to go together and have a great time!"

* * *

Jane had calmed down by the time they had gone to three shops in search of the perfect dresses. Liz was relieved; she knew that Jane never showed much emotion so if she had broken down crying, she had really strong feelings for Charlie. She felt bad that she had encouraged Jane to think that Charlie would ask her to the party but she had been convinced that Charlie like Jane as well. She wondered what happened – she had never noticed Charlie paying any attention to Maya.

She resolved to help her friend get dressed for the dance. She was going to make sure that Charles Bingley woke up and noticed Jane!


	2. Chapter 2

_Will_

Will tried to remember why he had asked Charlie's sister, Caroline, to go to Casey's party with him. With her bony hip poking him as she pressed herself closer to him in the backseat of the car, he was having trouble remembering. Oh yeah, because he had felt really bad about how upset Charlie was when he had told him that he didn't think Jane was at all interested in him. Charlie had been sure that Jane liked him but when Will had asked him to give an example of an instance when Jane had shown more interest in him than in any other boy she knew, Charlie had been stumped. Jane was friendly with all the boys and had never indicated that she had any feelings for Charlie in the two years they had known each other.

Charlie had been quite low and had refused to go to the party at all. At this, Will had suggested he ask Maya. She sat next to Will for math class and had confided in him that she had a boyfriend who lived in another state and that she was miserable about having a long-distance relationship, but was resigned to finishing the last year of school before moving to be with him. Will thought that she was the perfect date for Charlie; she just wanted to enjoy herself at the party and wouldn't expect anything from him. Charlie had needed some persuading but had finally agreed when Will said he would ask Caroline to go with him.

Caroline was a year younger than Charlie but wasn't at their school. Charlie's father had made it big in the stock market a few years back and had moved to a large new house here a couple of years ago. He had planned to put both his children in private schools but Charlie preferred to go to the local high school. Since Charlie's grades were always good, his father had agreed. Caroline had joined a nearby private school and become even more of a snob than she had been before.

Will lived some blocks away from Charlie and they had met soon after Charlie moved to the neighborhood. Will had practically no friends since he had never been very sociable and after his father decided to have him home-schooled, he had not bothered to keep in touch with his old classmates. Becoming friends with Charlie had been one of the main reasons that Will had persuaded his father to let him join regular school again. His sister Georgiana had also been enrolled in a small private school – fortunately, not the same one Caroline went to, although he didn't think any place could make shy and sweet Georgie into a snob.

"Will!" Caroline's high voice pierced into his thoughts. "We are there!"

Casey's house was in a nice middle class neighborhood. It was a pleasant white house with a large backyard which was decorated with lights for the party. "Hey there!" Casey greeted them as they came to the door. "Come on in, and help yourself to the refreshments."

Maya dragged Charlie to dance and Will found himself standing around the side with Caroline hanging onto him. He was really regretting having asked her. He knew that she had a crush on him and had always tried to discourage her. Now that she thought he had finally noticed her, she was going to be unbearable. He had told her that they were only going as friends but she didn't seem to regard that.

Will suddenly noticed Liz Bennet entering with Jane. He felt his heart thumping faster – he hated himself for the way he reacted around her but he couldn't seem to control his body's reactions. She was looking gorgeous today with her dark brown hair loose and curling around her shoulders and wearing a red dress made of some clingy fabric that draped itself around her curves. And he couldn't help looking at those curves again. He brought his eyes up to her face only to notice her staring straight at him. He felt hot and embarrassed. She gave him a defiant glance and turned around to talk to Jane.

He wondered why she had looked at him like that. Charlie had told him she was irritated that he had tried to get partnered with someone else for the project but he had hoped she was over that. It was just that it was really difficult for him to work with her – he kept getting distracted. He couldn't focus on the project when her hair fell over her eyes and he found himself wanted to move it back ... or she came close and he found himself breathing her perfume in deeply. Sometimes he couldn't listen to what she was saying because he got lost in her sparkling blue eyes. He really needed to get over this. He couldn't get involved with Liz – it would just be for a few months and wasn't worth it. He needed to focus on his studies; he expected to be going to Harvard next year. He knew Liz got fairly good grades but he didn't expect that with her background, she would be looking at getting into any of the Ivy League schools. He didn't see that they had a future together and he didn't want a short-term relationship. He would just have to avoid much contact with her until the school year was over.

Caroline tugged on his arm. "Who is that girl you were staring at?"

"You mean the one with the pretty blue eyes," he blurted out before he could stop himself. Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Uh ... that's Liz Bennet. We are working on a science project together. In fact, I was just thinking about the project."

Caroline didn't look convinced but she dragged him off to dance. Although he hated dancing, he did not want to make conversation with her so he allowed himself to be led off. He wished that he could dance with Liz and hold her close to him. He threw a backwards glance at Liz as he went and noticed that she seemed to be urging Jane to do something.

* * *

Will was tired when they got back to Charlie's place after dropping Maya home but when Charlie suggested he come up to watch a movie together he agreed. Charlie had been subdued on the drive back and Will figured he wanted to talk.

Fortunately, Caroline's mobile rang as soon as they got in the house and she went to her room to fill her friend in on her evening. Will couldn't have taken any more of her that day.

* * *

After about ten minutes of watching the first Lord of the Rings movie, Will was beginning to feel very sleepy. He wasn't as much of a fan as Charlie was, he preferred reading the books to watching the movie.

Suddenly, Charlie spoke. "Will, did you notice Jane today?"

"I saw her coming in with Liz but didn't speak with her."

"She was looking lovely. She was wearing a white dress ... she looked angelic. I wanted to dance with her but each time I went near, she would suddenly move away before I could speak with her. If it had been anyone else, I would have thought they were avoiding me. But it's not like Jane. I did speak to Liz though. She said she didn't realize Maya and I were going out. I told her we were just friends and then she got a funny look in her eyes. Will, do you think that Jane may like me, after all?"

Will wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want his friend to get hurt. Charlie was an emotional and straight-forward soul and he felt it his responsibility to keep him from getting involved with a girl who didn't care for him.

"Charlie, for the next week, I'm going to observe how Jane behaves around you, very carefully, and if I do notice any sign that she does like you, I'll tell you!"

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, that would be good. I really do like her, Will."

* * *

Will turned off the lamp and lay in bed trying to sleep. He found his mind full of thoughts of Liz. He'd seen her dancing a slow dance with Colin from school and had found himself clenching his fists to stop from punching Colin. He knew he had no right to feel jealous. Hell, she didn't even like him and probably would be shocked that he was fantasizing over her. Why was he getting so obsessed with her? He wondered if Charlie felt the same way about Jane. If so, he thought they needed to stay clear of both those girls. Hopefully, after the science project was over, it would be easier.

When Will finally fell asleep, the last thought in his mind was that he would be able to spend time with Liz next week while working on the project.


	3. Chapter 3

_Liz_

Liz was worried about Jane. She had to drag her to the party yesterday and practically force her to dance. Of course, unless you knew Jane really well, you wouldn't be able to see past the fixed smile on her face. But Liz knew that her friend was depressed and she had seen her avoiding Charlie repeatedly at the dance. She wondered if Jane would be feeling better by tomorrow – she had to work on the project with Charlie.

Fortunately, this was the last week that they would have to suffer Charlie and Will. After the project was over, they could ignore the existence of those two boys. She thought back to how she had caught Darcy looking disdainfully at her during Casey's party, probably comparing her dress to the designer ensemble the bimbo with him was wearing.

* * *

Liz was feeling rather awkward. Jane was handling herself well and actually talking to Charlie while they worked together in the corner of the room. However, she was still not comfortable enough with him to make her usual small talk. And Charlie obviously knew that something was wrong since he seemed rather subdued as well.

Liz and Will were working quietly, as usual, but she felt compelled to make some conversation – it was just too quiet there. She tried to think of a topic while she glued some bits of cardboard together. She felt Will staring at her and looked up at him. He returned her look silently. "Umm ... did you need something?" she asked.

Will opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again. Liz waited. "Nothing much, I was just going to ask to borrow your black marker."

"Uh, ok." Liz decided that she would rather not talk with him – he was seriously strange sometimes. She could feel him still staring at her. She focussed on finishing everything quickly so that she could leave.

* * *

Jane and Liz were sitting in Jane's room and talking about Charlie. Jane had decided she had misread him and thought that he wanted to ask her out when he was just being friendly. Liz was sure that Charlie had wanted to go out with Jane, but she decided that it was better for her friend to think she had been wrong about his feelings rather than to take it as a rejection.

After another half an hour of listening to Jane analyze why she had misunderstood Charlie and munching on popcorn, Liz decided it was time for some retail therapy.

They headed to their favorite mall. As they were walking inside from the car park, Liz thought she saw her sister behind one of the pillars. She hesitated since it seemed odd that Lydia should be there.

"Hey Liz, doesn't that look like Lydia? What is she doing there?" said Jane.

"I don't know why she should be hanging around in the car park ... let me go see what's happening."

Liz walked towards Lydia and realized that there was someone else with Lydia; he was in the shadows so she hadn't seen him earlier. He seemed quite a bit older than Lydia, maybe a year or so older than Liz. He was built, curly dark brown hair shining with golden highlights and as he looked up at Liz, she saw he had amazing blue eyes and dimples when he smiled.

"Hey there, can I help you?" he asked. Lydia turned around and frowned when she saw Liz.

"Oh George, this is my older sister", she said. "Really? So this is the sister you keep complaining about?" George laughed and winked at Liz. "Pleased to meet you, I'm George Wickham."

She couldn't help smiling back at him. "Nice to meet you, George. But I was wondering why my sister is hanging around the parking lot."

"No great mystery there, we met as we were walking to the entrance and started talking. We were thinking of going for a coffee, would you like to join us?"

"No, thanks. I'm going shopping with my friend. I don't remember seeing you before – you don't go to our school do you?"

"I'm actually on a year break before I decide about college. Just in town to visit some friends. I met Lydia at a mutual friend's house."

"I see. Well, I better get going. See you around."

Jane had been waiting patiently for her. Liz filled her in on Lydia's friend and agreed with Jane that he was rather hot. She hoped that Lydia and he were just friends – he was way too old for her.

* * *

After school the next two days, Liz had to work with Will on their project. They were alone in the room both days, and the air seemed charged. She couldn't understand it. She tried her best to be at ease and worked on her part as fast as possible. He seemed to be doing his work as efficiently as usual but he did give her odd glances from time to time. Once his leg brushed hers by mistake and she could feel him stiffen. She ignored his strange behavior and was happy when they managed to finish everything on the second day.

Jane would have to work alone with Charlie on Thursday but Liz felt that she would manage fine. At any rate, she wasn't going to spend another hour working with Will Darcy. So she agreed on all the final details regarding presentation with him and helped him store everything safely in the locker.

As she hoisted her bag on her shoulder and turned to leave with a quick good-bye, Will spoke, "Where are you parked? I'll walk you back to the car." She was rather surprised at his unexpected chivalry, "That's ok, I'm getting the bus home. Don't have the car today."

"Let me give you a ride home."

"There's no need to go out of your way."

"I insist, it is no bother at all."

Liz didn't know how to refuse without seeming rude so she quietly followed Darcy to his car. She was surprised to see that he had a fuel efficient Tesla Roadster. She had expected a flashy sports car but was taken aback by this sign that he cared about the environment.

He had opened the door for her and was waiting so she stopped gawking at the car and got in quickly.

She gave him directions but was quiet for the rest of the drive. He seemed to want to talk but she wasn't in a mood to help him make conversation.

He stopped in friend of her house and had come across to open her door by the time she had unbuckled.

"Thanks for dropping me home."

Will smiled at her. "Liz, I just wanted to say ..." he started before he was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Lovely Liz! I was hoping I'd catch you around", said George Wickham.

"George? What are you doing here? I don't know if Lydia is home."

"I was actually waiting for you." Suddenly, George noticed Darcy. Liz realized that Darcy had standing frozen since George had spoken.

"Hey Darcy, funny meeting you here."

Darcy gave a stiff nod and then walked to the other side and got into his car. Before Liz could say anything to him, he had taken off. She stood staring after him in confusion for a minute.

"What was that about, George? Do you two know each other?"

"It's a long story, Liz. I was actually wondering if you'd like to get something to drink. I can tell you all about it then." He smiled at her and those dimples convinced her to agree. She went inside to dump her bag and freshen up her make-up.

* * *

They walked across to the cafe on the next block. Liz waited patiently until they were settled in a corner table and had given their order. "So, give me the full scoop. How do you know Will Darcy and why does he hate you?"

George gave a sad smile. "He didn't always hate me. We used to be best friends although he is a couple of years younger. My father was Mr. George Darcy's accountant and they were good friends as well. In fact, I was named after him. Darcy and I attended the same primary school and I used to go back to his house after school. Dad would be at Mr. Darcy's office till late so I'd be there until then. My mother died when I was born and both Mrs. and Mr. Darcy were always nice to me – treated me like a son. I suppose that was what upset Will. As we grew older, he seemed to resent my presence in the house." He paused for a few minutes. "I'm sorry about your mother", said Liz.

The waitress came with their order and George waited till she left before he resumed.

"Yes, if it hadn't been for the Darcys' I guess I'd have been a lonely child. They always went out of the way to make me feel welcome in their house. After I got into high school, I stopped going to the Darcys' daily and didn't see much of them. I knew that Will didn't want me there so although Mrs. Darcy used to keep inviting me, I made excuses not to go. After she died, Will was very upset and he seemed to turn against me more – he managed to make Mr. Darcy fire my dad and hire a new accountant. Dad was so upset to be treated that way, he started drinking heavily. He had a car accident last year – he was drunk and drove into a ditch. Was killed instantly." He choked up and Liz put her hand over his comfortingly. "I live with my uncle now. Haven't seen Will in ages. So he's going to your high school now?"

"Yes, he joined this year. I can't believe how he has treated you."

"It's ok, Liz. Don't worry your head about it. He is still young and will hopefully learn better as he matures. I'm doing ok for myself. Thinking of becoming an accountant like my dad and I'm saving up money for college. Got a couple of jobs. But that's more than enough about my sad life." He looked at her with those bright blue eyes. "Let's talk about Liz Bennet now."

Liz found him really easy to talk to and before she knew it, they'd been at the cafe for almost two hours. The waitress had started giving them nasty looks for not moving on.

George walked her back home. They stopped in front of her building and exchanged numbers. "I hope we can go out again soon," said George. Liz smiled. "That would be nice."

Just as she said bye and turned to go, he caught hold of her arm and pulled her towards him to give her a quick kiss on the mouth.

"Bye, lovely Liz". He sauntered off.

She looked after him bemused. She hadn't realized that he liked her. He was so good-looking ... she hoped Lydia didn't have a crush on him. She wouldn't take kindly to Liz poaching on her territory.

She wondered if he would ask her out on a date this weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

_Will_

Will waited until the traffic cop had got back in his car and left before he started driving. He had been lucky – due to his clean record, he had just been given a warning for over-speeding. He was usually so careful about being within the speed limits, but seeing George Wickham talking to Liz had made him so mad.

He had questions swirling around in his head. What was George doing in town? How did he know Liz? He wished for a minute that he had stayed to find out from George but the thought of talking to that slimy dope peddler made his skin crawl. George should have been in jail ... if it hadn't been for the fact that they were worried about the publicity affecting his sister, they would have made sure he was prosecuted. As it was, they had simply asked him to skip town and never contact any of the Darcy's again.

He suddenly realized that he was stalled in front of his house – he'd been so distracted that he hadn't noticed he was home. He parked in the side garage but made no move to get out of the car. What should he do? Should he tell his dad? No, it might make him decide that Will and Georgina should go back to home-schooling. His dad was over-protective of them after his mom's death and the whole dope incident. Should he mention anything to Georgina? She was still so shy and lacking in self-confidence. Hearing that George was in town might worry her; he decided to just be more vigilant. He would make sure that his sister was never out of the house unaccompanied. He didn't want George to have the opportunity to speak with her – he remembered how George could sweet talk anyone into listening to him. Poor Georgina who had grown up thinking of George as another brother had no defence against him.

Will felt the familiar cloud of guilt enveloping him. If he hadn't been so self-absorbed after his mom's death, Georgina would have never been coerced by George into experimenting with drugs. But Will hadn't shared his grief with her or tried to help them deal with it together. Instead, he'd shut himself in his own cocoon and never noticed that George was spending an inordinate time with Georgina. She was just a kid – how could George have given her drugs? Will should have realised George was a user; there had been many incidents which indicated George was clearly under some influence. He was so relieved that it had only been twice – if something hadn't made him go to Georgina's room that day, he might have only found out much later when she was already addicted. He remembered that day clearly – going in the room and finding George out of his mind with Georgina next to him, giggling uncontrollably. He had been scared for his sister but had fortunately had the presence of mind to call Dr. Welham immediately to find out what he should do for her. Then he had called his father who was luckily in town that day. Dad had picked up the good doctor and rushed home.

Darcy's were born with a dislike of publicity else Will would have thrown George Wickham out of the house. But he knew that his father would not want all the servants to know what had happened so he had waited in the room until his father got home. Georgina had spent a few days at Dr. Welham's clinic before they had been given the all clear. They had found out from her that George had given her drugs twice – she didn't even realize what he had given her, just believed him when he said it was something to make her feel better. His father had been deciding whether to take any action against George when the auditors had uncovered evidence of Mr. Wickham's systematic embezzlement of funds from the Darcy's over the last ten years. Dad had been devastated at this double betrayal by a trusted friend and a boy he had treated like son. He had not wanted to press charges against either of them but asked them to leave town immediately. Mr. Wickham had taken George and left the same day. Will had not heard any news of George after that although his father had informed him of Mr. Wickham's death in a car accident.

Will couldn't stop blaming himself for letting his sister be misled by George. He had been the only one who knew what George was really like. He had always been punished for things that George had done – George was a chronic liar and cheat. But he had also been charming and quiet Will Darcy had never been able to compete. Even his own mother used to believe George over her son – Will used to get so indignant at being accused of things that he hadn't done, that he became sulky. He supposed that he had always looked guilty while smiling, confident George came out looking like a saint. He had been so glad when George had stopped coming to his house every day. He knew that it was because George had joined a gang but had never imagined that he had started doping.

Will resolved not to make the same mistake again. He was going to spend as much time as possible with Georgina and make sure she knew he was there for her if she needed him.

He thought about Liz again – should he tell her about George? No, he didn't want to share private family business. Liz was a smart girl, she definitely wouldn't do drugs. Would she be taken in by George's charm? He knew George was a player and he couldn't stomach the thought of her spending any time with the sleaze ball. He decided to try to mention to her that George couldn't be trusted.

"Will!" yelled Georgina, tapping on the car window. "I heard you drive in ages ago. What are you still doing in the car?"

Will smiled at his thirteen year old sister. She was beginning to look so much like their mother. "Nothing much, just thinking." She hmphed and dragged him into the house to watch TV with her.

* * *

He'd spent a relaxing evening at home. They'd watched some TV, played games on the PS3 and talked a lot. Georgina had been really happy to have him spend time with her. Charlie had called to go out but Will had told him he was spending time with his sister. Charlie was such a nice guy – you could tell him things like that and he would understand.

After she went to bed, Will sat in front of the TV for some more time. He wasn't paying attention to what was showing though – he was thinking about George and Liz.

* * *

He finally managed to corner Liz on the way to the cafeteria. "Hey Liz", he started but stopped when she looked at him accusingly. "Yes?" she asked with a coldness in her voice.

"I just wanted to caution you about George Wickham. He's no good, you should stay away from him."

Liz gave him a disgusted look. "I can't believe you, Darcy. After the way you treated George, you have the gall to come and pretend that he is trouble. I know what you've done and I do not want to have anything to do with you!"

She stomped away and left him staring after her in shock. He should have expected it – people always believed George over him. He started feeling irritated with Liz; she would find out for herself what George was like soon enough. He was a player and would leave Liz after he had got what he wanted from her. He stopped short – what was he thinking? Did he want George to hurt her just so he could say 'I told you so'?

He was mad at himself. He should have thought out what he was going to say to Liz – 'he is no good, you should stay away from him.' What a corny line! No wonder she was disgusted with him. He would have to try again.

Just then Charlie came up to him. "Hey man, I'm starved. Let's go get some lunch."

Will had lost his appetite but followed Charlie to the cafeteria. After they got their lunches, Charlie glanced around before sitting at a table in the corner. Will realized that Charlie had a great view of Jane from where they sat. He sighed. Should he feel guilty about that? His friend was a lot more into Jane that he had expected.

He noticed that Liz was waving her hands around while taking to Jane. She caught him looking at her and he looked away quickly – but not fast enough to avoid the look of loathing she aimed at him. Right, she was probably complaining to Jane about him.

He couldn't ever do anything right with her. He really had to put her out of his mind.

Charlie hadn't noticed Will's preoccupation since he was too busy looking at Jane.

What a pair they were!

* * *

Will hadn't worked up the courage to speak to Liz on Friday. He figured he'd leave it for the next week.

He'd made sure to spend time with Georgina every day after they both got home. He had managed to sneak a peek at her weekly schedule at school and memorized the days she had activities after school so that he would know where she was every day.

He had heard mention of some of her friends but now he made an effort to find out more about them. They all sounded like steady girls who would be good friends to his sister. He'd suggested she call her best friends over for a sleepover on Saturday – he thought it would be a good opportunity for him to meet them.

She had been excited and rushed to the phone to get the ok from Dad. His father had agreed provided that Will was around to keep an eye on things. Dad was flying out to New York and wouldn't be home for the weekend.

Mrs. Reynolds, their housekeeper and cook, would be there and Dad relied on her to manage everything at home in his absence. She had been with the family since before Georgina was born. After their mother's death, Mrs. Reynolds had started staying over on weekends whenever Mr. Darcy was traveling. Her children were grown up with their own families and her husband had passed away a few years ago, so she didn't usually have other commitments on the weekend.

Georgina had gone to call her friends. Will heard her excited voice and smiled to himself. It took so little to make her happy.

She came back half an hour later to tell him that all five of her best friends were coming over. She started planning the things they would do.

Will wondered what he had let himself in for! Six excited thirteen year old girls the whole weekend ...


End file.
